Sunday, October 19, 2014

New Phoenix, Arizona Temple

Before leaving Arizona last Monday, we went to the open house for the newly built Phoenix Temple. It is located a couple of miles west of the I 17 on Pinnacle Peak Road. It is a smaller temple than the other newest temple in Arizona, the Gilbert Temple, but is also incredibly beautiful. It sits on the north side of Pinnacle Peak Road amid desert foothills with the main entrance facing east and a golf course across the road to the south.

We watched a short film about the building of the temple and history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Phoenix area at the Stake Center to the east before being led by our tour guide on a quiet tour of the temple. Pictures are only taken on the outside of the temple due to the sacred space it is for members of the Church. My husband served others by taking their pictures for them at the end of our tour.

We were there in the early morning while the moon was still visible and the air a bit cooler. A figure of the Angel Moroni, an important figure in the Book of Mormon and in the early restoration of the Church, stands atop a spire at most Mormon Temples.

Each temple has commonalities as well as special motifs which are personal to that temple.

The Phoenix Temple uses this leaf motif through out the temple and the oval shape is prominent. These motifs are also repeated in beautiful inlaid marble floors.

This is the main entrance which is open by tour to the general public until November 1, 2014.

Later in November, it will be dedicated to the Lord and admittance will be for worthy members of the Church as they preform sacred ordinances and make sacred covenants. It will remain a place of peace and spiritual enlightenment like other temples around the world. Temples have been an important part of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ for over 175 years.